Feel free to comment on the previous one if you haven't done so already, I'm just leaving this one here and headed off to sleep. Maybe some of you might have something interesting to add that you haven't already. Anyway, here's round 2:
The Legend of Zelda (4-6 Characters)
- Link (Has a "Toon Mode" that modifies his style and appearance to Toon Link’s[?])
- Zelda/Sheik (Has a "Toon Mode" that modifies her style and appearance to Toon Zelda/Tetra [?])
- Ganondorf (Has a "Toon Mode" that modifies his style and appearance to Toon Ganondorf [?])
- Midna* (Humanoid)
- Vaati* (Humanoid)
- As of now unknown Zelda Wii important character*
ReasoningThe Legend of Zelda is yet another legendary franchise heralded by the combined force of Nintendo EAD and Shigeru Miyamoto. With its unique gameplay, memorable stories and immensely diverse character pool, it's a wonder to me how Smash has gotten away with a few things. For example (and the biggest one I have), Captain Ganondorf. That [parasitic bomb] has to stop in the next game. For someone who is supposed to be the wielder of the power of the gods and an immensely powerful warlock thief regardless of that, he sure doesn't have anything backing that rep in Smash. I will admit though, there are some moves that he possesses now that would make me sad to see them go (namely Thunderstomp [Down Air], Flame Choke [Side Special] and Warlock Punch) if they de-clone him how I have envisioned. What Ganondorf needs is a total redo that allows him to show off what he is best, a warlock. They need to balance his brutish physicality with his supposedly legendary magic ability. Again, since Smash has barely grazed the surface in regards to witches, warlocks, spellcasters and magic in general, they potential is there to make him something incredibly unique and I'm sure that it wouldn't take much to get something great from him.
Next up is the Link/Toon Link debate. Some say that Toon Link needs to go because it isn't a situation where Luigification is enough, especially since we already have Link. Others, me included, would find it blasphemous to remove a character so integral to the series (if you treat him as the rep for the "Young" Link and universes that a younger Link pertain to that is). So then what do we do to appease both sides of this debate? I have an idea, namely a selectable "Toon mode". This would work in the following way. A person who chooses Link would then be able to click on Link's spot on the roster (much like Zelda/Sheik in Brawl) and they would be able to play as the Toon version of this character. Now we have to address the next part of this scenario which is making the characters more diversified.
Why the Windwaker wasn't Toon Link’s Final Smash I'll never know. The Ballad of The Gales was one of the first ideas I came up with for him when I first heard he was going to be in the game. Imagine summoning a fully controllable cyclone for a few seconds and letting it wreak havoc all over the stage? The next best thing would be the Four Sword. Imagine four Toon Links standing up on top of one another and unleashing one powerful Hurricane Spin that you could tilt in one direction or the other? Outside of a final smash though, Toon Link as is was a pretty ok job, so I'll leave this at that and move on to the last issue of business, namely Vaati vs. Midna vs. potential newcomer from Zelda Wii.
Midna is in a very similar situation as Rosalina from the last roster battle I put up. She started in the biggest, most recent and most anticipated game in the series. She has also grown on many people for her own endeavors in Twilight Princess. Some people have even asked for her to return in a future installment of the series. This all has given her some decent backing in terms of popularity and getting into Smash as well. As for how she would blend into the game itself, remember my notes about spellcasters and Smash. She uses magic and abilities that are wildly unlike anything the Zelda regulars are accustomed to [spoiler=Twilight Princess spoilers]Why hello there Final Smash worthy giant ethereal Twili Orochi-arm spear wielding spider thing!
[/spoiler] and as such she should never be subjected to a clone treatment should she get in.
Then there’s Vaati, a very interesting situation within the Zelda series. While Vaati has been the main and secondary antagonist in a few of the Zelda titles, there are more extenuating circumstances regarding his use in a game like Smash. He was jointly created by both Nintendo and Capcom (more specifically, Flagship) in the few Capcom co-developed Zelda games, namely The Minish Cap and Four Swords Adventure. Honestly, I believe that he should have the same rights to a Zelda spot as any other important Zelda character, mainly because not only is he important in the games he’s in, he is also one of the only important Zelda characters to have ever been created not entirely by Nintendo, thus giving him his own unique albeit somewhat convoluted title and history. As for movesets and possibilities, I get tired of repeating myself, silly.
The only thing left to find out is whether or not the next Zelda game has a main character that isn’t Link, Zelda, or Ganondorf but has merits that make them worthy of a Smash membership. Also, do you all think that LoZ is a big enough franchise to warrant a big roster a la my Mario idea?
Now with all that said and done, all I have left to ask is what do you think of the whole Toon mode thing? Is it plausible or not? The question mark next to them denotes that it might not be workable, but it’s still an idea to think about. With that, I’m done for tonight!